Pure
by leonheartgirl
Summary: Saden von Deitrich never got over the loss of her childhood best friend, Draco Malfoy. As they grow up and apart, their differences separate them to a breaking point. At the Quidditch World Cup, she meets Fred Weasley who proves to turn her world upside down. However, as the Dark Lord begins his slow rise to power, she will be caught between her family and what she believes in.
1. In the Beginning

It first happened when I was five.

_Mother was busy inside an Apothecary, gathering her normal supplies, when a small, dark headed girl appeared at my side. She tilted her head and looked at me with luminous brown eyes and chirped, "Vould you play vith me?"_

_I blinked. I hadn't ever had any other child in Germany to play with before, not since Draco; I noticed a very similar looking woman standing a ways back, talking with a man who was loudly proclaiming everything to be: "Impossible!" and "Extraordinary!" I didn't think much of this man. He clearly wasn't very bright; my mother had been introducing me to potions for a while now._

_As I pondered over my answer, which was leaning towards yes, I felt a sharp hand snatch at my shoulder._

_"Saden,_

_come," Mother demanded, proceeding to drag me out of the shop. I dared not to pull away from her, though her hand was quite painful. She was clearly agitated. "Vilthy half-blood," she spat under her breath._

_My wide eyes looked up at her in curiousity as we continued our way down the street._  
_I fought against it for a moment, then asked, "Mother, vat's a half-blood?"_

_She jumped as if she had forgotten I was there. Stopping, she bent down in front of me so her face was close to mine and I could see the serious look in her eyes. We were blocking the path down the sidewalk, but she ignored this._

_"My sveet, a half blood is zee dirty product ov someone voo's of good, pure blood and someone voo's voul and unnatural: a mudblood or a muggle. Mudbloods are zose of muggle birth who hafe magical powers. It's an abomination," she finished with a sneer of disgust. I thought this all over for a moment, my eyebrows furrowed._

_"Vat am I, mother?" I asked innocently._

_A loving smile adorned her face, and she leaned over to press her lips to my forehead._

_"You, my liebling*, are pure."_

* * *

This is my baby; I've been writing this story for over a year now and I love it to pieces. This is my original character and she's from Germany, so I'm going to put the translations down here. Please review! :)

*liebling= darling


	2. Separation

I was born in Calw, Germany, much to the pleasure of my native parents, who'd thought my mother would give birth to me after they had moved to England. The move was prompted by my mother and father's closest friends, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, who are my godparents. Narcissa was three months along at the time, and wished my mother to be there for assistance; that would also help us, the child and I, to bond as we grew up together. You see, from the very start, they had an alterior motive to their plans, though I wouldn't find out for almost sixteen years. But, I digress.

Our move to England, when it came down to it, was brought about by the Dark Lord himself. Though my father wasn't an open follower, he felt, as did my mother, that it was the right idea; putting muggles in their proper place, a strict pure-blood society, and, of course, the Dark Lord running it all. Lucius put in a few kind words about the von Deitrich family, which made it essential for him to meet us. Father became a rather useful tool for the Dark Lord, as he was the German ambassador to the Ministry of Magic. He began dissapearing for weeks at a time, recruiting foreign wizards for the Dark side.

My first memories are of my mother, Narcissa, and Draco. We looked like twins, with our bleach blonde hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. To add to this sense of family, we were inseperable. We ate together, played together, learned to walk together, even though he was not nearly ready, and there are even a few photographs somewhere that include Draco and I curled up together under a table, sleeping soundly. Everything was quite happy, even in the Dark atmosphere we began our lives in, for they loved us dearly and we were quite safe.

Then the Dark Lord fell. Thankfully, Lucius and Father were able to talk their way out of being sent to Azkaban for the remainder of their lives, but it was now quite suspicious for him to stay in England, due to the many foreign wizards he'd Imperiused coming back to their senses. And so, we moved back to the von Deitrich manor in Germany, keeping our home in Wiltshire as a summer home.

Mother told me that I cried for Draco so much that she had to keep copious amounts of Floo Powder around the house so I could visit him often, and had to hide it because I learned how to use it at the age of two and a half. I was happiest with Draco, though our temperments were quite different, even at an early age. I was loud, inquisitive and cuddled anything that walked; he was thoughtful and sly, often tricking the house elves into giving him extra sweets. Together, we were quite the unstoppable force.

Two happy years passed, until my father and Lucius had a terrible arguement. Father wanted to keep searching for the Dark Lord, and required Lucius' help to do so, who refused, wanting to keep the comfortable status in the Ministry and home. Father argued that he could, but Lucius refused flat out. He then accused Lucius of being a coward, and wands were drawn.

Being prideful men, considering, they pulled everyone into it, until the wives sadly put aside their friendship to stand beside their husbands. I, on the other hand, threw the first, and albeit biggest, tantrum in my entire life.

"Draco! I vant to see Draco!" I screamed, attempting to throw myself into the fireplace, though I had no Floo Powder. Mother quickly extinguished the flames, and stood to the side, sniffing tearfully, while Father grew angrier by the second; neither of them had ever seen me so out of control.

"Nein!" he roared, picking me up forcefully. "Nein, Saden! I vill not hafe you seeing zat feigling*'s son!" He lifted me into the air and I kicked my feet uselessly, my screams now subsiding into sobs. His face crumpled, and he sat down with me in his lap, stroking my hair as I cried into his shoulder. "Sssh, prinzessin*, I vill find you ozzer kinder* to play vith."

"Draco," I hiccuped sadly, and after a few more moments of soothing, I fell asleep. Mother approached and Father handed me to her, his shoulders slumped forward. She brushed the hair off his head, looking at him solemly.

"Frederick, can't you-?" she trailed off, and he shook his head. Pulling himself to his feet, he stood tall, the fire made his blue eyes gleam dark and fierce.

"Ceindrych, ven zee Dark Lord returns, he vill value our help over all of the supposed loyal ones," he said firmly. "Unt ven zat day comes, I vill most certainly accept Lucius' apology."

* * *

German accents are hard to type.  
Feigling*= Coward  
Prinzessin*= Princess  
Kinder*= Children


	3. Shock

And so, the Malfoys and von Deitrichs grew up and apart, and eventually the longing for my first true friend and companion faded to a faint twinge of loneliness that I could never quell. Some bonds, I've concluded, run too deep. I have a faint suspicion my parents suspected this, so, to squash their own guilt, showered me with anything they _thought_ I might want; books, pets, exotic trips to satisfy my curiosity about the rest of the world, and more.

From an early age, I knew I was incredibly blessed, however I still... couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with the wonderful picture that was my life. Often, I'd argue against these feelings with logic and fact: I had a beautiful home, two wonderful, loving parents, and I wanted for nothing of any material means. But, I could never put my finger on it, until the summer after I'd turned ten.

I had just finished my lessons with my personal tutor, Phillip, for the day and wanted to spend some time with my father, since he had a day off. Cheerfully, I skipped to his study, whistling the newest Celestina Warbeck song, "You Stole My Cauldron But You Can't Have My Heart" which my mother had shown me the previous day. When I reached the door, however, I heard something that chilled my blood and froze me to the floor.

Someone was screaming. But, not in fright: in agony. It turned my heart inside out; I wildly tried to think of what torture could cause that amount of pain. An image of my father hurt leapt to the front of my mind. My heart felt like it would beat out of my very chest and I was about to burst in the study when I heard his voice. I stopped, transfixed in horror.

"I trusted you to be ov great knowledge, Artyom; your brother Antonin shpoke so highly ov you bevore he vas imprisoned in Azkaban. Now, I know you hafe the knowledge ov the Dark Lord's location. I implore you, most zincerely, to tell zee truth, or zere vill be vorse sings happen," came the cold, amused voice of my father.

The screams cut off into high pitched, breathless sobbing. I still stood outside the door, my eyes wide when it broke off.

"Master von Deitrich, I promise you that I know not of his whereabouts, or I would have sought him out myself," the man said earnestly, his voice shaking.

I heard Father sigh, and he said, "Dolohov, I am sorry to hafe to do zis-"

"-No! I beg you!" screamed the man, but my father's voice overpowered his.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

A green light flashed under the door and I heard a loud, sickening thump. By the this time, my hand had flown to my mouth and silent tears were streaking their way down my face. I had thought the world of my father, but now...

I heard my father's advancing footsteps and before I could blink, I had turned and fled down the hall. I realized, with a detatched fascination that I was in my room, out of breath without any memory of getting there, and sobbing: just like that man my father had murdered.

I remained in my room for the rest of the day, ignoring Father's voice floating up the stairs: "Prinzessin! I hafe made your vaforite vood!"

My room was bathed in the orange glow of sunset when Mother came in and saw me curled into a ball on my bed and staring out my window that overlooked the Black Forest, my face white and frozen, I'm sure, into an expression of shock. She came over and sat beside me, a knowing expression on her face.

"Your vather is not an efil man, Saden," she said quietly and for the first time in hours, I turned away from my window and shot her an incredilous look. She sighed and glanced down at her hands. "He is doing vat is best vor the vamily, liebling. Ven zee Dark Lord returns, vee vill be highly vafored."

I had to clear my throat, but when I finally spoke, it trembled. "He vas screaming, mama, like he vas dying. He begged- he pleaded vith vather and he still k-killed him."

Mother, my _sweet_ mother, shrugged, unmoved by my description. I shook my head, now feeling an emotion foreign to me at the time swell within my chest: disgust. I turned away from her, and stiffened at the touch of her hand on my back.

"Saden-" she began, but sighed once more. Her long, dark hair brushed my cheek as she leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Ich liebe dich*," she murmured, then left my room, leaving me to ponder over my entire life and the beliefs of my parents.

* * *

*Iche liebe dich= I love you.


	4. Wrong Choices

The next morning when I went down for breakfast, Father looked uncharacteristically solemn. I was sure he had sent my mother up to talk to me last night and she had told him about my vehement reaction. If he was hurt, I was devastated. I had always been extremely close to him; I'd aspired to be just like him, but now that couldn't be farther from the truth. Mother's words had damaged the situation more, if that were possible.

I had read quite a lot about the Dark Lord, and it turned my stomach to think that he wanted to find him to try and _help_ him, the monster who had murdered hundreds and destroyed so many lives and families. Worse even than Grindewald, whose stories had always sent a shiver down my spine. Though, Father, I thought bitterly, probably had taken lessons from him.

My appetite was normally quite vigorous, but I could barely manage to swallow the small bite of toast I had taken. Mother would look at my every now and then from the corner of her eye, but Father was blatantly staring at me, his blue eyes spilling all the words he wasn't saying. Pursing my lips, I tried to ignore it and the plethora of emotions colliding together inside; I was completely miserable and it wasn't even ten o'clock.

Finally, he spoke. "Prinzessin," his voice pleaded and I looked at him, instantly taken aback; his eyes were full of tears. "I never vanted you to know. You are my light, my engel*. You must know anything I do, I do it to protect you. The Dark Lord- he vill come back, and ven he does, I vant to be sure vee are protected. He vill punish me by hurting you and your mother; I cannot let zis happen. Bitte, verzeih mir*."

By the time Father finished speaking, tears were streaking their way down my cheeks and I could barely keep myself from sobbing. I still knew it was wrong, cowardly even, the route he was taking; instead of standing up to the evil man, he was following him- but, he did it for us. Standing from the table, I hurried over and threw myself into my father's arms. I let all my feelings erupt and distantly I realized as I broke down, that Father was crying just as hard as I was.

_

My views on their supremacy have never changed; it literally turns my stomach to think of innocent people being murdered because of their birth. People are all the same underneath our skin. We all have hearts, feelings, lives and the right to live. No one should decide if someone is worthy of life or not. I've often, disgustedly, wondered if my parents would have killed me, if I'd been born to someone else and happened to be a muggle born, or if I'd turned out to be a squib.

Though I've never said this to my parents, I know they suspect I feel this way. It's a subject of taboo, the Dark Lord and all their beliefs. It's a sign of how much they respect and love me that it is so. Many parents have tortured or disowned their children for such "rebellion", but I think they, deep down, believe my views will change as I age. They are sadly mistaken.

* * *

Oh, this chapter was very emotional for me. I really like her father, even if he does make the wrong choices. Review please! :)

*Engel= Angel  
*Bitte, verzeih mir= Please, forgive me


	5. Wands

When December rolled around, my parents took me to London to celebrate my birthday and to buy my wand from Ollivander's. Both of their wands were of Gregorovitch's creation, but the Dark Lord's wand was of Ollivander's, so, of course, my parents thought he was the best. I honestly had no opinion about this; I was simply ecstatic about getting a wand.

I'd never been to Diagon Alley before and it truly fascinated me; the architecture in England was very different from home and the people were bold, I'd discovered from The Leaky Cauldron, but friendly. They humored me as I wandered from shop to shop, though Father slipped away to a place called Knockturn Alley after a while.

I found Flourish and Blott's books to be of a good variety, picking myself out a few concerning magical creatures. Mother took me to Twillfit Tatting's and had me fitted into a nice set of dress robes that were a very light shade of green that she declared made my eyes even prettier than they already were. Father found us then and we stopped to have some ice cream at Florean's when I began to whine.

"I vant to go get my w-wand," I said slowly, working very hard to speak without so thick of a german accent. Phillip had begun to help me a few weeks before, but it was difficult. Father approved, though that was putting it lightly; he had gone out of his way to make sure my first language was english, which he thought more proper, and wanted to be as british as possible while Mother simply thought it was "too cute".

She pursed her lips against a smile, and said, "Oh, alright, Saden."

We came across Ollivander's and I began to have my doubts; it was downright shabby and looked very second hand. Unperturbed, Father led us inside and a bell rang out as we entered. I gasped, letting my mouth hang open. The walls inside were floor to ceiling with thousands of narrow boxes; I knew wands were immensely difficult to make and my opinion of Ollivander rose exceedingly.

"Good afternoon," came a soft voice and we turned to see an old man standing with his hands folded in front of him. "May I help you?"

Father smiled, nodding towards me, "My daughter requires a vand."

"I see. If I may ask, who has made your wands, Mr. and Mrs-?" he trailed off politely.

"von Deitrich. I am Frederick. Zis is my vife, Ceindrych, and my daughter, Saden, and Gregorovitch, of course," he said, and my parents smiled proudly, pulling out their wands. Ollivander took my father's first, turning it between his long, thin fingers.

"Elm, with the core of phoenix feather, twelve inches and rather bendy. I've concluded elm is especially well to use for advanced magic," he said pensively and handed it back. Father exchanged a rather startled look with my mother, whose wand Ollivander was now examining.

"Hazel and dragon heart-string. Nine and three quarter inches. Nice and flexible. A very sensitive wand, yes indeed," he said, and fixed his eyes upon me as Mother took her wand back. "I am certainly curious as to what yours will be."

He pulled out a long tape measure out of his pocket and it began it's measurements, which were very unusual, I thought, as it measured the length between my shoulder and finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to my armpit, around my head, and between my nostrils.

"Yes, I think we shall begin here- that will do," he said and the tape measure dropped at my feet. "Here we are, Ms. Deitrich, Hornbeam and dragon heart-string. Eleven inches. Supple. Just give it a wave."

I waved it confidently, but he took it from me almost at once, pulling another wand out of a box. "And this- Cedar and phoenix feather. Nine and a half inches. Bendy."

Once again, I waved the wand but he took it from me, his face full of curiousity. "No, I suppose not. I wonder... yes, here we are," he said and pulled a wand from a box high in the stack. "Pear and unicorn hair. Ten inches. Unbending."

The second he put it in my hand, a warmth flooded my arm and swept throughout my body. I beamed and swished it in the air, watching as a sort of silver shimmer filled the room. Mother clapped and I'd never seen Father look so proud.

"Very nice, very nice," Ollivander said approvingly and tilted his head as he looked at me. "A very resilient wood, pear is. I think you shall find your wand will perform exceptionally at defensive spells... That will be seven galleons, Mr. von Deitrich."

Father paid and we all left, my parents discussing Ollivander.

"Zat vas incredible," Mother said, now examining her wand with interest. "I had forgotten vat my vand's vood vas."

"I hadn't," he replied. "Lucius and I share zee same vood, but different cores." There was an awkward silence then; Father rarely spoke of Lucius. Mother glanced around, obviously looking for a change of subject, and her eyes rested on me smiling at my wand.

"I vonder vat vonderful magic our little Saden vill perform ven she is older," she said proudly, touching my cheek gently.

"Older? I vant Phillip to start her lessons as soon as vee get home," he said with a wink in my direction. I gasped, my mouth stretching into a wide smile.

"Really?" I asked excitedly and they laughed at my enthusiasm; Father pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"Anything for you, my Saden."

* * *

I did extensive research on Pottermore about wand cores, wand woods, flexibility and whatnot. Reviews would be much appreciated! :)


	6. Quidditch Plans

Now that I had my wand, my future education came into discussion. Father had gone to Durmstrang, while Mother had been taught at home by her mother. Hogwarts didn't take students out of the country, much to his dissapointment, and _I_ didn't want to go to Durmstrang, whose reputation for teaching the Dark Arts was notorious. Sighing, Mother smiled.

"Vell, it is settled: you'll continue your lessons vith Phillip," she said happily, and Father nodded, going back to his book. I suddenly realized I had been holding my breath; I exhaled, extremely relieved. The thought of leaving home and my parents unsettled my stomach, though I'd never let on. I wanted them to think I was independant, which I mostly was. I had no problem spending time alone, or venturing around the forest by myself. However, I always liked knowing they were there if I truly needed them.

My lessons were the highlight of my day, and I never wanted them to end. My progression in magic was very excelled, thanks to Phillip's teaching and my parents stepping in every now and then to assist. As Ollivander had predicted, my wand was best at Defensive spells; it took me no time at all to learn the many different spells.

I was especially good at Shield Charms, though that level of magic wouldn't have been shown to me until much later if I had been taught in school; I was actually two years ahead of where I would've been. It wasn't because I was super intelligent or anything, I just didn't have much else to do _but_ do my lessons and study all year. It gave me a definite advantage over the kids who went to school. There wasn't any area of magic I had problems with, unless you counted Herbology, which I _didn't_.

Though... I sometimes wished I had gone to school. I had no peers to have fun with; I'd never had a single girl to giggle with and I'd certainly never spent any length of time around any boys to develop feelings for. Now that I look back, this should have meant more to me, but there's nothing to do about it now. After two years of my lessons, I gave a subtle hint of this to Mother, who turned her bright brown eyes to me in concern.

"But, Saden- hafen't you heard ov vat iz happening at Hogvarts?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Zee Chamber of Secrets has opened and muggle born students are being attacked. Of course, you vould be safe and zee scum are zee only ones affected, but you are safe here."

I chose to ignore her offensive comment and asked, "The Chamber ov Secrets?"

She nodded and said, "It is said bevore Salazar Slytherin left Hogvarts, he had created a Chamber in vich a monster lurked. Now someone is unleashing it upon the students."

This certainly gave me a chill and I immediately felt a surge of relief that I had remained at home. But, the ordeal ended some months later and I forgot about it in the news that Sirius Black had escaped. I peered over my father's shoulder at the paper, where the man snarled in the black and white print.

"He was a Death Eater?" I asked, looking closely at Father, who snorted, shaking his head.

"Nein. Anyone zat knows voo truly supported zee Dark Lord knows zis," he said thoughtfully, turning the page. "He vas in fighting against zee Dark Lord vith zee Order of zee Phoenix and zee little traitor Pettrigrew framed him and escaped."

"How do you know this?" I asked slowly as I took a seat for breakfast, peering closely at my father, though I was a bit distracted by how well I had spoken with a neutral accent. He seemed to notice too, and gave me an approving smile.

"Lucius told me a long time ago," he answered, dissapearing behind his paper. I frowned sadly at this, staring at the picture of the innocent man. Thirteen years in Azkaban over a crime he'd never commited. How unfair the world was. I was completely lost in this thought when I heard Father say sharply, "Saden Ethelinda von Deitrich!"

"What?" I asked, startled. He was looking at me amused and laid down his paper.

"How vould you like to go to zee Quidditch Vorld Cup next summer?" he asked and my eyes lit up. Quidditch was a great source of entertainment for me, though I wasn't very good at it.

"I would love to!" I exclaimed and he chuckled, nodding slowly and stroking his beard.

"It von't be fery hard to get tickets. The British Minister ov Magic, Vudge, has alvays liked me. I shall inquire about zem tomorrow, prinzessin," he told me, a twinkle in his blue eyes. I smiled at him, and rose to leave; I needed to study for my O.W.L's,which I would be tested for next June. I paused and hugged him, feeling grateful for all the things he'd done for me.

"I love you," I told him and kissed his cheek.

"Ich liebe dich auch, miene tochter*," he replied softly.

* * *

*Ich liebe dich auch, mine tochter= I love you too, my daughter


	7. Big Family

I would have spent every second I had keeping up with the Quidditch teams that were being winnowed out for the World Cup, but my upcoming exams simply wouldn't allow that. Phillip had me studying longer and later than I ever had before, and I found time racing by faster than I thought possible. Soon, June was upon me and I almost had a nervous breakdown about it, but Mother made me a calming drought and sent me to bed.

I went to the Ministry with Father to be examined for my O.W.L's and was a complete wreck until I had received my results; I'd passed all my subjects, though I'd made two Outstandings: in Defense Against The Dark Arts and Potions. To celebrate this, they'd asked me what I wanted as a present.

I thought hard about it, but told them I wanted an owl. Mother took me to an Owl Emporium in Berlin and I picked a boreal owl, finding him positively delightful; he was so small and full of personality. I named him Vestri, after one of the dwarves from norse mythology. Father put him to use as soon as we got back, however.

He invited his three brothers, their wives and children to come along with us, making it a rather large party that would be taking a Portkey to the deserted moor in Britain where the World Cup would be taking place. They would be arriving the day before, so that we could make the long walk into the Black Forest where our Portkey would be leaving at five fifteen in the morning.

Our house elves were working feverishly to prepare the Manor for their arrival, while Mother was teaching me all the names of the relatives I'd met only once at a funeral when I was three; our family was not close by any means. This would be quite the reunion.

"Virst, your uncle Augustus," she told me and held up a picture of an older man with salt and pepper black hair and darker eyes; I could see a bit of resemblance between him and my father, but just barely. "Your vather's oldest brozer and his wife and your aunt, Elfriede, voo's here," she said, showing me a mahogany haired woman.

"Uncle Augustus and Aunt Elfriede, got it," I murmured, and she pulled out another picture, this time of a man who looked extremely like my father.

"Uncle Kristof iz your vather's youngest brozer; his wife iz Alheid," she coached, pulling out a picture of an older, refined blonde woman. "And here's Sven," she showed me a reserved man with a slight receeding hair line, "and his wife, Ramya," and showed me startlingly beautiful Indian woman.

"Oh," I breathed and my mother gave me a small half smile, nodding.

"Exquisite, isn't she? He met her ven he vas in India on business, but he decided to stay zere vith her. She iz expecting zeir virst child," she told me and I smiled, thinking of a beautiful little baby. "I do not hafe any pictures ov your cousins, and it vould be a vaste ov time to try and teach zem to you. You shall meet zem tomorrow."

"...How many again?" I asked hesitently. She gave me a knowing look and sighed.

"In all? Seven."

_

The next day we all stood on the front steps, in our finest dress robes, waiting for the separate von Deitrich families to arrive by portkeys. Even though Augustus and Kristof only lived a few hours away, they couldn't apparate; their younger children weren't of age. Uncle Sven and Aunt Ramya were to arrive first at six, which was two minutes away, followed by Uncle Kristof and Aunt Alheid, then Uncle Augustus and Aunt Elfriede. I began to shuffle my feet back and forth, annoyed. Mother shot me a look and I merely huffed in response.

"Saden," she hissed, on edge from the pressure of being hostess.

"I'm not doing anything," I snapped brattily. She opened her mouth in retaliation, when Father raised his hand.

" Aufhören*!" he barked, and we quickly desisted, our faces showing mild abashment, when a blue lit lit up the otherwise late afternoon sunshine; two figures spun into existance and landed lightly on their feet, apparently unruffled by the Portkey.

"Brother!" Sven called amiably, striding over. I saw Father break into a wide grin and they hugged fiercely, talking swiftly in german. Ramya smiled sweetly at us and came to hug my mother, kissing her gently on the cheek.

"Oh, Ceindrych," she breathed, holding her at arms length. "You haven't aged a bit."

Mother laughed, shaking her head, "Nein, Ramya. It is you voo has not aged, though you vere certainly not vith child last time," she said lightly, pressing her hands softly to her swollen abdomen. Ramya laughed, her brown eyes sparkling as she placed her hands over my mother's.

"This child is already a fighter, quite like his father," she said warmly, looking over at her husband, where he was now roaring with laughter at something Father had said. I had been politely quiet up until this point, and I saw my aunt double take at my appearance. "Saden! You've grown up so much. You look just like Frederick- come give me a hug," she instructed kindly, pulling me towards her.

I felt my cheeks burn as I blushed all the way down to my toes, but embraced her all the same, her belly putting up a small boundry between us.

"Thank you," I murmured shyly, and when I stepped back she looked over at her husband once more.

"Sven! Quit rough housing and come say hello to your sister in-law and niece!" she admonished. Father clasped my uncle on the back and led him over, the laughter still on both of their cheeks. Sven greeted Mother, then smiled at me, beckoning me closer.

"Vell, Frederick, no vonder you hafe been hiding her avay," he said mildly, after he had kissed the top of my head and hugged me. "She iz schön*."

"Ja, I know," Father said proudly. "Only zee best shall hafe zee pleasure ov being around my Saden." By this time, I was thoroughly embarassed, though flattered.

"When will Kristof and Alheid be here?" Ramya asked, looking around the manor grounds with interest. Father pulled out his pocket watch, but it wasn't needed. Another blue light appeared, bringing along with it a chorus of voices. Three boys picked themselves up off the ground, looking disheveled and cross. Kristof and Alheid immediately began greeting us.

After Alheid had hugged Mother and Ramya, she turned to me, smiling brightly. "Oh, you are a pretty thing, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically, and I noticed she had an Irish accent. "But I bet there's a nice little temper underneath, Frederick?"

He laughed, nodding, "She iz a spitfire, my Saden; I do not know vhy she iz being shy all ov a sudden." Everyone laughed lightly, causing me to flush red once more. Kristof pulled the three boys over and shook his head.

"I vish zees hellions vere shy. Benjamin iz oldest, entering his vinal year at Durmstrang, vile Theodor iz in his sixth, and little Fritz is too young vor school," Kristof said pointing to each one; I noticed they did, indeed, look like hellions, especially the two oldest. Benjamin and Theodor smirked like they knew all of life's secrets and I rolled my eyes.

No one noticed this because the final Portkey arrived, pulling a group even bigger than the last; two twin boys began to tear their way through the group and a hoarse voice rang out: "I vill svitch you two until you are bleeding iv you do NOT behafe!"

Laughter immediately swelled as the two bounded back to their mother, shuffling their feet. Elfriede pushed her wild reddish brown curls out of her face and sighed, gesturing for her daughters to come say their hellos. They both remarkably like their mother; they stood poised and indifferent, a far cry from the boys. Augustus stood behind, towering over his wife, smiling bemusedly.

"Zis iz Nina, our oldest at zeventeen attending Beauxbatons," Elfriede said, and Nina gave a small inclination of her head; I remembered my mother had told me they had all moved to France just so their children could go there. "Ingrid iz in her virst year there, and Niklas and Matthias are zeven."

"Twins, I take it? You must hafe your hands full," Mother stated ruefully, and Augustus gave the boys a look, shaking his head.

"Zat iz putting it lightly," he replied pleasantly, stepping forward to kiss her cheek. "You hafe it easy! One child!" All eyes were once more upon me, and I ducked my head and stepped slightly behind Father, who slipped his arm gently around my shoulders.

"She iz all vee vanted, but vee can talk inzide! Come! Vee shall show you zee manor!" he cried, turning to walk up the steps while the family followed behind us.

* * *

Whew! It took me a while to come up with all the von Deitrichs.

Aufhören*= Cease  
Schön*= Beautiful


	8. Blessed

In a way, the tour of my home was an eye opening experience. I'd never thought of how truly beautiful it was, or how luxurious until I saw the reactions of my family. I knew, however, that they were all rich, too; my grandfather had been the Minister of Magic here, and had inheirited the family broomstick business, which he had sold for a gargantuan amount of money. When he had died, Father and his brothers had split it evenly, but it seemed they had squandered a bit it while he'd handled it wisely. It also helped that Mother came from a family of money, though.

"Zis iz my study and zee library," Father said, pulling open the door while he kept his other arm around my shoulders; I think he had realized how nervous I had gotten around everyone and was trying to comfort me in a subtle way. Before, Nina and Benjamin had tried to talk to me, but I'd only managed to quietly give one answered replies.

As I heard Augustus' and Kristof's murmurs of startled appreciation, I tried to imagine how it must seem to someone who hadn't grown up running in here to grab a book and sitting in their father's lap while he read to them.

The gleaming wood of the ebony book shelves, desk and chairs that reflected the elegant candelabra and high ceiling; the thousands of books lining the walls, many ancient and quite valuable; the rectangular window that gave a spectacular view of the front steps and the water. The word sumptuous came to mind.

After everyone had gotten their look around, he took us to the main drawing room, which held the tapestry of our Family Tree. I'd always admired it, but never really taken to looking at it much. Augustus, Kristof, and Sven gathered around it, talking animatedly about the family members they remembered from childhood.

Father and I had meandered over to the window, where it we looked out on the west side of the Black Forest; the view was very familiar, but that was because my room was directly above this one. The sun was setting beautifully, casting the world in the orange glow I loved. It was my favorite time of day.

"Prinzessin, are you alright?" Father asked me, looking at me with concern. "You are not yourselv." I sighed, casting a furtive glance behind me to make sure no one was listening. Everyone was too busy talking amongst themselves or admiring the artifacts in the room. I looked up into his face, encouraged by his support.

"I hafe not been around so many people at once bevore," I whispered, feeling childish and silly; I lapsed easily back into my natural accent in my moment of being upset. "It's alvays just been you and Mama; I'm avraid ov vat zey vill think or me zaying zee vrong zing."

A flash of understanding crossed his face, and he kneeled down in front of me so that his face was directly in front of mine; he smiled kindly and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in his neck, feeling a surge of love for my father burst forth.

"My Saden, it iz pervectly normal to feel zis vay, but you, my sveet, hafe no need vor it. Iv anyone haz a problem vith vat you hafe to say, zat iz exactly vat zat iz: zeir own problem. You hafe nothing to be avraid ov, prinzessin, but you do not hafe to leafe my side unless you vant to. Okay?" he asked quietly and I nodded, pulling back. He kissed my forehead and murmured, "I vill alvays be here for you, Saden. Ich liebe dich."

By this time, I had tears in my eyes and I barely managed to choke out, "Ich liebe dich auch, Father," before hugging him tightly again. Over his shoulder, I saw Mother smiling softly at us and I knew in that moment just how blessed I really was.

* * *

I loved writing this. I hope I gave good imagery and left enough room for the imagination.


	9. Arrival

After talking with Father in the drawing room, I began to timidly reach out to the other members of my family. That night, I was very glad I had done so. Nina, I found, was an artist; she loved to paint and promised to show me her work whenever I came to visit her. Ingrid and I shared a love of books; every single one of the boys held spirited debates with me about who was going to win the World Cup. It finally dwindled down to two on two, no one ready to back down.

"No vay!" cried Theodor, shaking his head vehemently. "Bulgaria's got _Krum_!" Fritz nodded in agreement while Benjamin and I stood our ground.

"One good player versus seven!" I shot back, enjoying myself thoroughly. "Ireland also just bought a Firebolt for _each_ player; how do you think Bulgaria can possibly beat zat?!"

"Von't matter iv Krum's already got zee Snitch," Fritz said excitedly and Theodor high fived him. Benjamin shook his head, smirking.

"He von't get zee Snitch! Not ven he has Quigley and Ryan beating bludgers at him efery two zeconds!" he pointed out and this time _I_ high fived him. Fritz opened his mouth, about to reply, when a bout of laughter cut him off.

"Zere vill be plenty ov time to argue ofer the match tomorrow, children. Vee hafe to get up fery early to catch zee portkey; it iz time vor bed," Father said lightly, smiling. We all nodded and stood from the table in the sitting room. "Benjamin and Theodor vill share a room, Fritz vill share vith Niklas and Matthias. Eferyone else iz already asleep." We all shared a guilty grin at this, knowing he had let us stay up late just to be nice.

As everyone went their separate ways, I stayed back. Hugging Father tightly, I pulled back after a long moment to smile at him. I said, "You were right, you know."

His blue eyes twinkled merrily and he lightly tapped the end of my nose. "I alvays am, Prinzessin. Hafen't you learned by now?" I giggled lightly and shook my head. "Vell, now you hafe. Off to bed! It vill be time to go bevore vee know it!"

_

His prediction was all too correct. We had to be _at_ the portkey in the Black Forest at five fifteen, so we were all pulled out of bed by four thirty. Everyone wore stupidly sleepy expressions, barely able to eat the breakfast the house elves had prepared. I overheard the women complaining about how they didn't even like Quidditch.

"I have never cared for the sport, to be h-h-honest," Ramya said, yawning halfway through her sentence. Elfriede and Mother nodded sleepily, but Alheid shook her head.

"I've got to be excited. Ireland is my home, no matter where I live, and I'm going to support them. I just can't believe two out of three of my children have gone to the wrong side," she said, mock glaring at Theodor and Fritz, who were too busy falling asleep over their oatmeal to notice. Father was telling Augustus, Kristof and Sven where our seats were; the rest of the family had to buy their own tickets, which were on the level below the theirs.

"Top box as a givt vrom zee Minister ov Magic Vudge. Apparently, zee Bulgarian Minister vill be zere too," he said amusedly. "He is alvays pretending he does not know how to speak English."

Augustus shook his head while Kristof and Sven laughed appreciatively. I happened to glance at the grandfather clock and jumped.

"Father, it's five o'clock!" I yelled and we all sprang to our feet, awake in an instant. Everyone pulled on their traveling cloaks, rushing out the front door.

"Verdammt*," Nina grumbled, fussing with the sleeve; I stopped to help her into it and she smiled at me gratefully. Ingrid trailed behind us, trying to escape the twins. Elfriede was right behind them and she kept her eyes narrowed at all times, making sure they didn't wander off. Erkling lived in the Black Forest and specifically preyed on children. Father had reassured everyone that their numbers had dwindled thanks to the Ministry, but I had never been very convinced.

It didn't take us long to reach the clearing where our portkey was, thankfully, though it was a bit of a hassle trying to find it. It turned out to be an old butterbeer box, but by the time we had grabbed it, it was already three minutes til five fifteen.

"Zey should tell us vat it is bevore hand," Father grumbled, shaking his head. I wasn't too bothered. The only emotion I felt was pure excitement. The day I'd been yearning for was finally here! I bounced on my heels, unable to contain myself, though keeping my finger firmly pressed on the grimy box. It was a bit crowded, with sixteen people all touching one object; I was squeezed tightly between Ramya and Alheid.

"Someone's excited," Ramya teased and I had just managed a smile at her when I felt the most uncomfortable feeling of a hook jerking behind my navel. I grimaced as my feet lifted off the ground and we all began spinning in a whirlwind of noise and color. My stomach gave a sickening lurch and I closed my eyes quickly to keep myself from being sick. When I thought I wouldn't be able to take another second of bumping into my family, and all the spinning, my feet touched the ground.

I moved quickly away from the group and kneeled down low, pressing my head between my knees, like Mother had taught me. The roaring hadn't gone from my ears and I realized just how fervently I detested portkeys.

"Fifteen past five from the Black Forest," I heard distantly but I ignored it, exhaling deeply and trying to keep my breakfast in my stomach.

"Saden, are you alright, dear?"

A hand pressed gently on my lower back and I took one more deep breath before standing up, giving Alheid a small smile.

"Portkeys make me queasy is all," I said quietly, trying to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at me with different mixtures of confusion and concern. We fell into step with Ramya, who was bringing up the rear of the group.

"Well, we'll be at the tents in a bit, so you can take a lie-in if you need to," she said warmly, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and leading us back to the group.

"She's fine, just a bit woozy," Alheid assured and Ramya nodded sympathetically; I could only imagine how difficult it was for her, being four months pregnant. I had missed the entire exchange between Father and the ministry man who handled the arrivals. I was a little dissapointed but shook the thought from my head, looking around with extreme curiousity, but there wasn't anything to see yet. I remembered that we were supposed to blend in and I quickly took off my traveling cloak, stuffing it in my bag holding my money and wand.

"Where is our campsite?" I wondered confusedly.

"The man said ours was half of a mile away, that someone had set it up for us. I'm sure your father paid for that," Ramya answered, looking exhausted already. I frowned, watching her.

"Shouldn't someone carry you or something?" I asked but she merely laughed.

"I will be fine, Saden. This is good excercise. Good for the baby, too. I have been getting out of shape," she said lightly and I scoffed quietly. The only way you could tell she was pregnant was because of her belly; she was tiny everywhere else. Alheid seemed to be thinking the same as me, for she laughed.

"If you are out of shape, then I'm an elephant!" she exclaimed and we began to laugh, earning some looks from the front of the group. Ramya shook her head, amused.

"I have seen elephants and you look nothing like one, I promise," she teased. Alheid shrugged, her blue eyes full of mirth. Silence fell over us as the walk deemed longer than we had thought it would be. I was sticky with sweat even though the air was brisk and cold. Swiping my forehead with the back of my hand, I noticed a small cottage beside a gate. As we got closer, my eyes began to widen: hundreds and hundreds of tents began to pop up out of the mist.

When Father had told me how many wizards would show up, I had laughed, assuming he was exaggerating. Now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was being completely serious and my heart sped up in anticpation. We passed by the cottage and continued by, passing tents of all different kinds.

I had never seen muggle artifacts before and I stared in amazement at the simplicity of them. Just a simple little cloth over what seemed to be three poles. How odd. Here and there I saw that the owners had been unable to resist the temptation of decorating, adding chimneys and front yards to their designated area. Some went over the top, though I knew Father probably had done the same thing. A striped silk palace had regular and albino peacocks strutting elegantly outside the entrance; I stared after it, feeling like I had seen it before...

"Aha! Here vee are!" Father called after a bit more of walking, stopping. As Ramya, Alheid and I approached, I snickered at how correct my assumption about our tent, if you could even call it that, had been. Ours was three floors, with turrets and a large sign in front, lettered: "The von Deitrichs". Everyone filtered inside, but I hung back and smirked at him. He pursed his lips, defensively asking, "Vat?"

"You knew we were supposed to blend in," I chided half heartedly, too tickled with him to care much. He shrugged, grinning like a school boy.

"Vhy should vee blend in? No one else has," he pointed out, and slipped inside. I shook my head and followed him.

* * *

*verdammt= damn


	10. The Weasley Twins

Father had outdone himself with the tent; that was clearly obvious from the outside, but the inside was remarkable. The first floor was divided into two halves, one being the kitchen and the other a sitting room, complete with elegant couches and posh decor. A spiral staircase led to the second floor, where there were three separate rooms: the right was for Nina, Ingrid and I, the middle for Fritz, Niklas and Matthias, and the left for Benjamin and Theodor. The third floor had four separate bedrooms, for each of the couples. The others found it marvelous, while I found it unnecessary, but I kept my mouth shut since I wanted to go explore.

Everyone was so absorbed with the tent and it was annoying me half to death. I had spent the past year looking forward to this day and I wanted to go _see_ the different people and things, NOT to stay looking at a damn tent! I huffed loudly, but no one even spared me a glance. Finally, I went over to where Father was talking with Kristof and tugged on the sleeve of his suit.

"Vat, prinzessin?" he asked absently.

"May I go look around?" I asked sweetly, and he looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed. He opened his mouth, but I cut him off, speaking quickly. "I'll take my wand with me, I promise to be careful and I won't be gone very long, please?"

Kristof chuckled and said, "It seems she haz cofered all zee topics ov interest, Frederick. You hafe taught her vell." Father smiled widely, shaking his head.

"So I hafe," he muttered, and nodded. "You may go, Saden, but take this map and be back soon."

I grinned and took the map, before leaning up to kiss his cheek, trilling, "I will!"

Quick as a flash, I was down the stairs and out the tent entrance before he could get in another word edgewise. The sun was coming up in earnest and I breathed in the sweet morning air, the grin still very present on my face. I must have looked silly, standing there and grinning like an idiot, but I didn't care. Everything was new and exciting and I loved it.

I began walking around, intrigued by everything I saw. Witches and wizards of all ages were just starting to awaken and emerge from their tents; little boys and girls were riding toy broomsticks like the ones Draco and I had when we were younger. A thought struck me out of nowhere and I paused, stunned. What if he was _here_?

I was sure he liked Quidditch too and Merlin knew Lucius could afford tickets; they were just as wealthy as we were. I looked around quickly, wondering if he was just beyond my view. I set forward with a spring in my step, but stopped after a few yards, startled once more.

Blinking a few times to make sure I wasn't going insane, I realized I had found the Ireland supporters. As far as I could see were tents covered in thick green shamrocks.

"Alheid will be pleased," I murmured to myself, smiling. I noticed four teenagers talking with a woman who looked to be one of the boys' mother. As I passed, I saw the red headed boy watch me go and I ducked my head, blushing. I began walking over to the woods, wondering what kinds of creatures lived in there.

Just as walking around so much earlier had made over heated, I was again, if not worse. The sun was coming out with a vengeance and I now wanted to get to the woods for a different reason: shade. It took me about ten more minutes, but I finally reached them, my forehead slick with perspiration. I leaned up against a tree and closed my eyes when I heard a voice behind me; I quickly turned, watching to see who it would be.

"Getting firewood is rubbish," a boy grumbled. He had a british accent, I noted, and soon he appeared before me, carrying a heavy load of wood. He was around my age, tall but stocky, extremely freckled and red headed. He looked a lot like the boy I had seen earlier, but I found this boy to be more attractive. He grinned at me. "Well, I didn't know there were wood nymphs in here." A laugh escaped me, and I grinned back, shaking my head ruefully.

"Not quite," I replied, and he laughed as well. I gestured to the wood in his arms and asked, "Couldn't you have summoned it?"

"Nahh. I'm not of age, and Dad'd have done a nut. He's completely batty about the anti-muggle security," he said lightly, shrugging. "I'm Fred Weasley, by the way."

"Saden von Deitrich," I said, sticking out my hand to shake before remembering he couldn't. We laughed once more and I blushed, embarassed. "Did you just arrive today?"

"We had to catch a portkey at five past five. It was a bloody nightmare, getting up that early," Fred said, leaning up against a tree as he talked.

"You're kidding?" I asked and when he shook his head, I explained. "Ours was at five fifteen, so we must have just missed you."

"Shame," he replied cheekily and I blushed once more. "Where are you from? I've heard a lot of accents today, but none like yours."

"Germany," I answered shyly with a small smile. "I didn't think my accent was that noticable."

"It is, but not in a bad way, trust me," Fred winked and I giggled, unable to stop smiling. Distantly, a voice was shouting and we quietly listened.

"Oi! FRED! Where are you?!"

Fred sighed, standing up straight. I tilted my head and asked, "Your family?"

"My twin, George," he replied and soon he came into view. The odd sensation of seeing double visited me as I tried to find a difference between them; there weren't any.

"There you are, you prat, I've done three loads of firewood and you haven't even tak- oh. Hello," George greeted cheerfully as he spotted me. Fred shook his head, smirking at me, then turned to his brother.

"This is Saden, George. George, Saden," he gestured to each of us and George stuck out his hand and I shook it.

"Pleased to meet you," I said with a smile and he raised his eyebrows, smiling back.

"Where are-" George began, but Fred cut him off.

"She's from Germany, Georgie. We were just discussing her exotic accent when you so smoothly cut in," Fred teased, his brown eyes twinkling. George shrugged good naturedly, and I laughed quietly at their quick banter. Fred turned to me, asking curiously, "So what year are you in?"

"I'll be entering my sixth," I told them and they grinned.

"You're our age!" they exclaimed in unison, but I shook my head.

"I'm two years ahead, actually. I'm fourteen, you see," I added, making sure they understood. This seemed to surprise them, and they glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. They turned back to me, looking at me like I had tricked them somehow.

"You really don't look-" George began.

"-your age," Fred finished.

Blushing, I ducked my head slightly and shrugged. Just as I was about to answer, a loud, bossy voice rang out.

"Fred, George, we need the firewood right away! Don't dawdle!"

They rolled their eyes and I asked, "More family?"

"Our brother, Percy," Fred answered with poorly veiled disdain. He looked at his twin. "We probably better go back before he sends out a search party."

George nodded grimly. "I wouldn't put it past him to get the Ministry involved."

Fred sighed sadly before giving me a charming smile. He thrust the firewood into George's arms and took my right hand. Bowing low over it, he pressed his lips gently onto my hand, looking into my eyes. I bit my bottom lip, my hand feeling as if it had ten times more nerve endings than the rest of my body.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Saden," he declared, and I could have sworn I was melting into his eyes. I lowered my eyes, sure my face was on fire from how much I was blushing.

"It was a pleasure meeting _you_, Fred Weasley," I replied shyly. He let go of my hand and stood back straight, stepping away. George began to elbow him playfully, and he followed his brother, looking over his shoulder.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again sometime soon," he yelled cheerfully and disappeared into the woods. I looked down at my hand, lightly running my fingers over where his lips had been.

"I sincerely hope so," I murmured and picked my way out of the woods to get back to the campsite, having completely forgotten the reason why I had come in the first place.

* * *

What a charmer! Haha, I love writing Fred.


	11. Declarations

"Vere hafe you been?" came Father's instant query when I entered the tent. He was in the kitchen with everyone else, having brunch. I smiled, shrugging delicately.

"Walking around," I replied vaguely, taking a seat at the table. Nina, I noticed, was watching me with a small smirk on her face and I grinned back at her, knowing that she'd question me the second she got me alone. I helped myself to some sauerkraut and pork chops.

"Find anyzing interesting?" Elfriede asked, though she didn't seem interested in hearing my answer for she continued: "It's horrible zat zey are letting halv bloods and mudbloods attend."

"I agree," Sven said firmly, nodding. "Zis should be vor pure-bloods _only_ not vor filth." I bit the inside of my cheek, hard, to keep from saying anything. I realized that Kristof had set his silverware down abruptly, his eyes dark.

"Vell, I do not," he said coldly and suddenly the room went silent. Sven, Father, and Augustus were staring at their brother in shock, but his face did not waver. My eyes darted around the table, watching their faces as the tension built until it was a palpable thing.

Benjamin and Theodor held their heads high, defiant and loyal, while the adults, except for Alheid, looked at their plates, deeply ashamed, who was watching the scene with an unfathomable expression on her face. The children were bewildered, the situation beyond their comprehension. I do not know what possessed me, but I spoke up.

"Nor I," I declared, looking directly at Kristof. He gave me a smile and a nod, which I returned.

"Saden, hush your mouth," Father barked, not taking his eyes off of his brother. Mother looked around nervously; I knew how much she hated confrontations.

"So you hafe become a blood-traitor, hafe you?" Augustus asked softly, his voice much more alarming than if he had shouted. Kristof raised his chin, but didn't answer. "Vell, vat a-"

"_Augustus_," Elfriede snapped, looking around pointedly at the youngest at the table.

Alheid softly suggested, "Children, why don't you go upstairs for a spell?" Ingrid, Fritz, Niklas, and Matthias rose and trudged up the stairs, but Benjamin, Theodor, Nina and I remained. Theodor shook his head, glaring at his uncles.

"I am staying," he retorted, crossing his arms across his chest.

"That was not a suggestion. Go now," she said curtly.

"I am of age, Mother. I revuse," he replied, his voice hard. Alheid pursed her lips, but said nothing more. The adults soon realized the only under age one who had stayed was me, and Father pointed a finger at me. Gritting my teeth together, I pushed back my chair as loud as I could, stomping every single step of the way to show what I thought of being sent upstairs like a little child. As soon as I reached the second floor, I heard Ramya utter a silencing charm.

"Verdammt," I swore, going into the room I shared with Ingrid and Nina. Ingrid was sitting on a bed, her eyes wide and frightened as she watched me.

"Vere is Nina?" she asked, and I sighed, running my hands threw my hair.

"Downstairs," I grumbled frustratedly and I heard her whimper, making me instantly regret my harsh answer.

"Vat iz going on?" she whispered, her voice trembling. My heart swelled and I sat on the bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She tucked her head into my chest and I gently stroked her hair.

"A disussion, liebling, that iz all," I soothed, feeling sorry for her. Ingrid was such a gentle spirit; I had come to know this about her in little less than a day because she'd clung to Nina like a shadow in the forest this morning, and when Benjamin had spoke of the Dark Arts taught at Durmstrang yesterday, Nina had sharply told him to stop because Ingrid had started to cry.

"Do you promise?" she asked, looking up at me with tears clinging to her long, dark lashes. I summoned a smile and nodded. She settled back against me, comforted.

After a few more minutes, I gently suggested, "Why don't we get some sleep? I'm sure Nina will come wake us when they are done." She nodded, and got into the bed, curling up instantly. I sighed softly and went to the bed I had claimed earlier, quickly crawling under the blankets. The lack of sleep from the night before quickly caught up with me and I fell asleep.

_

"Girls, the Quidditch World Cup is about to start!"

I sat straight up in bed, my hair wild and fussed about my face. Alheid stood in the doorway, a smile glittering across her face. Ingrid yawned, stretching her arms high above her head.

"Vere iz Nina?" she asked, and Nina appeared behind Alheid, smiling as well. Ingrid threw off the blankets and ran to her. Nina smiled tenderly at her little sister and wrapped her in her arms, kissing the top of her head before leading her away. I smiled softly at the bond between them, shaking my head. Alheid sat at the edge of the bed, watching me carefully.

"So, you don't believe in the pure-blood supremacy either, do ye?" she said quietly, her normally care-free expression gone replaced with a solemn thoughtfulness.

"No, I don't," I replied, feeling my stomach lurch at the thought of the scene earlier. I looked at her, tilting my head. "I'm surprised they didn't disown him and your family on the spot."

A wry smirk curled her mouth and she sighed, looking away. "If they weren't convinced he wouldn't openly announce that in public, we would be," she said with a small scoff. "As long as the von Deitrich name is free from shame, they're fine, which is why, I'm assuming, you've been able to get away with it."

My lips twisted into a scowl as the wisdom of her words sunk in. It wasn't because they honored my personal beliefs, or even believed it deep down: it was merely a seam in the fabric that I'd never been able to voice my opinion, so they'd never had to punish me for believing what I did. I swallowed hard, feeling my eyes burn. I hung my head as my cheeks became slick with tears, embarrassed, but I felt her arms close around me and I threw myself into them, beginning to sob.

"Sshhh, love, sshhh," she crooned, rubbing my back softly. Distantly I recognized the fact that my own mother had never held me like this, but an aunt I barely knew was doing for me what I had always wished for whenever I had been upset. She also shared my same ideals and didn't think herself superior because of her blood-line. I straightened up and she gently wiped away my tears.

Giving her a watery smile, I croaked, "Iv zey dizown me, vill you take me in?"

Alheid laughed softly, smiling before saying, "I don't think they ever will, Saden. They love you very much. Too much to part with you."

"Efen iv I told zee vorld I loved muggle-borns?" I asked half heartedly, knowing the real answer, and she then pulled me back in her arms, hugging me tightly.

"If anything should ever happen, you can come to me, no matter what," she vowed, and I nodded against her shoulder, feeling my throat grow tight with tears once more. She gently pushed me back and held me at arms length, exclaiming, "Well, we'd better be going! The World Cup is about to start! You wouldn't miss this for the world!"

I laughed shakily, nodding, before exhaling deeply and standing up. I made my way to the bathroom to look in the mirror, knowing my face would be red and eyes puffy. To my surprise, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be; just a little red tint and my eye makeup was faded. I quickly summoned my bag and reaaplied it, feeling better.


	12. Top Box

"Ooooh, look at zese!" Fritz squeaked, grabbing a pair of Omnioculars and jamming them to his face eagerly. I laughed as Nina and I looked at Ireland scarves decorated with shamrocks and leprechaun gold. Benjamin was examining an obnoxious tall green pointed hat covered with shamrocks, while Theodor was paying for a red Bulgarian rosette.

The adults milled around, waiting for us to pick which souvenirs we wanted so they could give us the money to pay. Only Ingrid stood back, close to her mother's side, distracted by the many sights and sounds. The atmosphere was thick with excitement, the fading dusk bringing us closer to the long awaited event; the World Cup would be starting at any moment. I wrapped the scarf around my throat, turning to Nina.

"How does it look?" I asked, striking a dramatic pose, my arms held above my head. She chuckled, shaking her head and I dropped the act, smiling goofily.

"Like you are a tree made ov money," Nina said with a snort, picking up a small green Ireland rosette and called her mother over. "Simplicity iz key, I think."

"Ah, well," I shrugged, waving to my father. "If you're going to do something, you might as well do it all the way. Father, I want this," I told him, playing with the end of my scarf. He nodded, going to the salesman to pay. I felt my face fall slightly and I tried to keep my cheerful disposition.

Father had not said a word to me since I had come downstairs, even though I'd pointedly tried to get his attention. Nina gently touched my arm, giving me a small smile, which I returned grateful for her sympathy. I knew she of all people understood what I was dealing with; her parents were the same as mine.

Suddenly a low, resounding gong sounded from somewhere in the woods and the green and red lanterns lit up to outline a path that I assumed led to the Quidditch Stadium. I grinned and felt the excitement swell within me, just bursting to get out; I had the impulse to jump around in circles and cheer, but I refrained simply to save my Father's pride.

Mother stepped close to us, holding out programs. I took one and smiled at her, which she barely returned; I tried not to let it affect me and instead looped arms with Benjamin and Nina as we began to march down the lantern-lit trail. I purposefully pulled as a bit ahead of the group, furtively glancing behind me before I asked solemnly, "What happened?"

Nina pursed her lips, and said, "Yelling."

"Lots ov yelling," Benjamin added, his brow furrowed. "Father kept hiz temper until zee fery end vhen-"

"Vhen my father asked him iv he vanted to shnap hiz vand and join the muggles," she completed grimly. I gasped, appalled. Nina shook her head, lowering her eyes.

"Father shtood up und roared at him: 'Sie ignorant Bastard! Es gibt einen Unterschied zwischen Toleranz und Völkermord! Möchten Sie ermorden unschuldige Kinder Ihren Stolz zu retten?" Benjamin quoted, mimicking Kristof perfectly. My eyes widened and my hands slightly trembled in their hands. Benjamin squeezed gently, before saying, "Zat ended it. Augustus left und it vas silent vor a vhile."

"He's right, though," I whispered softly. It seemed as if I noticed every single child that passed by, skipping, laughing, or telling jokes. Half of my family would- I shook my head vehemently, not letting myself complete the thought.

"I am so ashamed," Nina murmured, her eyes full of unshed tears. I leaned my head on her shoulder and she rested her head on mine. We didn't speak for the rest of the walk to the stadium. My good mood was tainted, full of horrific images and notions. Benjamin and Nina left with their families and I was left alone with my mother and father. I wasn't acknowledged, and for the first time, I was glad.

I didn't have to try too hard to forget my morbid thoughts, for the stadium alone was the biggest thing I had ever seen in my life. When I looked up to see how tall the golden walls were, my eyes about popped out of my head: they never seemed to _end_. I tripped along after Mother, paying attention just enough so I wouldn't get swallowed in the enormous crowd.

It didn't take us terribly long to reach the entrance; I could see Ministry security prodding people into proper lines and sheparding them along. When we reached the entrance, Father lazily produced our tickets. The witch handed them back after a moment, telling us loudly, "Top Box! Straight upstairs and as high as you can go!"

I followed my parents as we walked up the thickly carpeted stairs. I idly wondered how many flights of stairs there were. I decided to keep track, but it only lasted me the first twenty two flights. People had been filtering out quickly, but now they had all but dissapeared. My eyebrows furrowed as I imagined how much Top Box tickets must cost. I opened my mouth to ask, but thought better of it.

As we reached the top, I stopped to catch my breath and laughed as my mother did the same. She threw me a small smile and I returned it thankfully. I looked around and felt my heart begin beating double time. A familiar red head was grinning at me and I blushed all the way down to my toes. Neither of my parents noticed, but I could see Fred's brothers turning to look in my direction.

"Saden, zis vay," Father called, directing us to seats at the very opposite end of the twenty or so seats in the Top Box. I grimaced slightly, following them with a slight pout on my face. I realized why he wanted these seats: easy access to greet Ministry Wizards.

"Frederick!" a voice called jovially and it echoed through the small sitting area. I felt the eyes of everyone upon us. I ran my hand through my hair nervously, wishing I was invisible. A portly man with the strangest attire- a pinstriped suit, a long black cloak, a scarlet tie, a lime green bowler, and purple pointed boots- was striding towards us. Father smiled widely, inclining his head slightly before extending his hand to shake. They shook hands and the man said, "How good it is to see you! It has been too long. How is Germany?"

"It iz good to see you as vell, Cornelius, und vunderfull, Germany iz alvays such. Thank you kindly vor the tickets. You remember Ceindrych, of course," Father said and Mother stepped forward and shook the Minister's hand. Of all the things I thought the British Minister of Magic would be, I never imagined him like this.

"Alvays a pleasure, Minister," she said sweetly and Fudge smiled.

"Now I don't think you hafe had the chance to meet our daughter?" Father asked politely, and the Minister shook his head, turning his eyes on me.

"Goodness no, I did not know you had a daughter!" Fudge exclaimed, turning his attention to me. "What is your name, my dear?"

"Saden, Minister Fudge, and I must say, I'm very pleased to meet you. Father always pays you the highest of compliments when he speaks of the Ministry here," I said, smiling shyly. I felt Father's hand squeeze my shoulder gently. Fudge simpered slightly, as taken with compliments as a fly is with honey.

"Why, she's absolutely charming, Frederick! Where have you been hiding her? She doesn't seem to have as thick an accent as you; does she go to school abroad?" Fudge asked interestedly, and I let my eyes wander around the stadium in boredom. This conversation had taken place a thousand different times, with a thousand different men just like Fudge. I was Father's prized possession and not to be compared to lesser brats. I sighed inaudibly, wishing the match would start.

"Nein, our Saden studies at home vith a prifate tutor. She is already two years ahead ov her year. She made 11 O.W.L's vith two Outstandings," Father said proudly, and I ducked my head as Fudge's eyes grew wide as he looked at me.

"My word! You must send your tutor to give our students at Hogwarts a lesson or two! ...Ah, there's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic! You've met him, haven't you, Frederick?" Fudge asked, and Father nodded, greeting him quickly in Bulgarian. It might has well have been Chinese for all I knew, and Fudge appeared to be in the same boat as I was.

"Never had a knack for languages... Wish I had Barty Crouch to translate," he told me and I merely smiled, not sure what to say in response. He began looking around the Box and suddenly turned to Father, saying, "I'm sorry, but I must go attend to some other people... Let the Bulgarian Minister meet Harry Potter..."

"Harry Potter iz here?" Father asked curiously, his blue eyes scanning the box. I looked over too, morbidly curious about the boy who was the root of the last war, but instead caught the chocolate brown eyes of Fred, who winked at me.

"Oh yes, the boy with the untidy black hair over there... Well, we best be going. Wonderful seeing you, Frederick," Fudge blustered, leading the Bulgarian Minister over to the Weasley's and, apparently, Harry Potter. While everyone was preoccupied, I winked back at Fred who grinned widely in response.

"Vat vere you saying to him?" Mother asked, slightly indignant on being left out of the conversation due to language barrier.

"Oh, joking about how he really understands eferyzing Vudge is saying," Father said with a chuckle. Mother laughed also, her brown eyes bright as she looked about.

Now that we didn't have anyone badgering us, I began to pay attention to the scene before us. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were scattered among rising seats around the oval stadium. The golden light from the stadium threw everyone into glittering light, and the field looked like a perfect miniture replica of a normal Quidditch field. I noticed the blackboard with changing messages, but I'd seen things like that before.

I felt very insignificant in that moment, but all of a sudden I was pulled out of my speculation by my Father growling, "Das verdammte feigling ist, was er denn hier**?"

I blinked in shock; my father never cursed. Mother pulled me to my feet and suddenly we three were facing Fudge, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco.

* * *

*You ignorant bastard! There is a difference between tolerance and genocide! Would you murder innocence children to save your pride?

*That fucking coward, what is he doing here?


	13. Unspoken words

It seemed I couldn't stop staring at Draco, who was obviously facing the same problem; his gray eyes were wide and searching as they roved over my face, though he kept his expression blank. He was almost as tall as Lucius already, but he was lean and lithe, with subtle muscle build. He probably plays Quidditch, I thought distractedly.

In all the times I had imagined seeing Draco, I had never thought I'd experience such a strong physical reaction. My palms were sweating and I felt the biggest urge to throw my arms around him and hug my first best friend. I inwardly cursed myself, thinking how stupid it was for me to feel this strongly.

"...Yes, yes, I remembered just how _close_ you two families were and I had to make sure you got to make your greetings. Coincidentally, the only seats left are right beside them, Lucius," Fudge prattled, pleased with his good deed for the day.

Lucius was much colder than I remember him being, as he stared at Father, and Father back at him. Fudge was oblivious to the tension, and turned to me.

"Saden, you've met Draco before, haven't you?" he asked and I had to wait a moment to swallow the lump in my throat before I could answer.

"It's been years, Minister, but yes, I've met Draco. We grew up together," I answered calmly, keeping my face composed so I didn't show the turmoil inside. I wanted so badly to _really_ say hello to Draco, but I knew Father would jinx me into oblivion if I did.

"Yes, it's been quite a while," Draco said placidly, and I marveled at how deep his voice was. He was so grown up, but so the same. I could only imagine how Mother and Narcissa must feel; they were the absolute best of friends before the fight between Lucius and Father, who were glaring daggers at each other.

"You men are both here as my guests, though for different things, of course!" Fudge laughed boisterously. "Lucius just made a very generous donation to St. Mungo's and Frederick here has been of the most help between the German Ministry of Magic and ours."

"Is that so?" Lucius asked, his lip slightly curling and I saw Father slip his hand in his dress robes; I knew he was gripping his wand tightly. I flashed alarmed eyes at him, but he didn't notice.

"Yes, yes, quite right," Fudge muttered, distracted by the proceedings around us.

"Father?" I asked and everyone turned to look at me. I kept my eyes on him. "Why don't we sit down? I want to tell you why Ireland is going to beat Bulgaria."

I saw Draco smirk out of the corner of my eye and Father nodded and said, "Ov course, Prinzezzin."

I steered him the opposite direction of Lucius and sat down beside him. Mother sat on the other side of me, then Narcissa on her left side, while Draco sat in between his parents like I was doing. It really was a hilarious moment, but I'm sure no one would have appreciated my humor at the moment.

I turned to Father and whispered, "Halten Sie Ihr Temperament, Father; lass ihn nicht bekommen das Beste von dir.*"

He cracked a smile and kissed the top of my head, before whispering back, "Wann habe ich bekommen wie eine intelligente tochter*?"

"Immer*," I replied cheekily and he laughed, his good mood restored. Mother smiled at us both, obviously approving of our behavior. And with that, we settled back to watch the match.

"ZAT VAS AMAZING!" I cried as we made our way out of the stadium. My accent had come back with a vengeance during the game whenever I would cheer at a score or bellow at a penalty. Father chuckled, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright.

"Zat vas a game unlike anyzing I hafe efer seen," he declared, and I nodded in earnest. Mother sighed, one hand pressed delicately to her head; she had gotten a headache within the first five minutes from all the noise. I might have felt bad if I hadn't had such fun.

"Troy vas superb! I just can't beliefe- Ireland von- but Krum- zee snitch!" I exclaimed, my voice becoming a high pitched squeak. Mother groaned slightly, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"Ve vill make you a potion vhen ve get back to the tent, liebling," Father said gently to her, slightly shaking his head at me. I shut my mouth, but couldn't refrain from bobbing about happily as we made the walk back. We could only assume everyone had gone back to the tent; it was a much longer walk from the Top Box than it was where they were seated.

The walk seemed much shorter than it had earlier and I rushed in the tent, immediately being assaulted with, "SADEN! Did you SEE-" from all sides.

Mother made her way over to Ramya and Elfriede who were sitting in the kitchen, looking exactly like she did: exhausted and ready for peace and quiet. Augustus, Kristof, and Sven were lazing back in the sitting room smoking their pipes. Alheid was sitting with Benjamin, Theodor, Fritz, Nina, and Ingrid, who were all gesturing me over. I grinned and joined them, bellowing, "IRELAND VON-"

"BUT KRUM CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" they all finished in unison, their raucous laughter highly infectious.

"It looks like the Bulgarian supporters owe us an apology, eh?" Alheid asked wryly, looking specifically at her two younger sons. They smiled at her sheepishly, shrugging.

"He still caught zee snitch," Fritz said, and Nina laughed, shaking her head.

"To safe their pride," she pointed out, and there was nodding all around. Verbal replays were soon being spoken by all; Alheid soon drifted over to talk with the women, but as the late hour drew near, arguements began to break out, though admittedly, I started one myself.

"If Aiden Lynch hadn't fallen for Krum's feint the game would have ended even sooner!" I said heatedly, and Theodor shook his head at me, his cheeks red.

"Krum iz too good!" he argued and I heard Nina and Benjamin going at it about the specifics of fouls and if the referee was in the wrong or not. Even Ingrid and Fritz were battling it out over which mascot was better.

"GENUG*!" came a loud roar, and we saw Kristof standing at the top of the stairs, sternly staring us down. "It iz time vor bed!"

We all hung our heads, abashed, as we shuffled up to our rooms, and began getting ready for bed. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face so Nina could have her turn, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

* * *

*Keep your temper, Father; don't let him get the best of you.

*When did I get such an intelligent daughter?

*Always

*ENOUGH


	14. Fleeing

If I had been dreaming, it was utterly forgotten when I bolted upright in bed at the sound of loud screaming. Sweat clung to me as my heart pounded, but the sound wouldn't stop. Nina and Ingrid stared at me with horrified wide eyes. Suddenly the door swung open with a bang and we all screamed, but Alheid hushed us quickly, her normally cheerful face solemn.

"Come, come on, girls," she implored, reaching to pull Ingrid to her. "We need to go this instant." Nina whimpered as the noise outside grew louder; I didn't have to strain my ears to hear the chaotic sounds of people fleeing and crying. I grabbed my wand and pulled on my robe quickly before following them downstairs.

Benjamin and Theodor stood tall and angry beside their father, while Fritz ran to cling to Alheid as soon as she stepped off the staircase. Elfriede comforted her children, and Ramya and Mother talked in whispers. After I scanned over the living room once more, I realized that Augustus, Sven and Father were missing.

"Vat is going on?" I demanded loudly, my worst fears beating a wide path through my mind. "VERE IZ-" I shouted, but Kristoff quickly covered my mouth.

"Nein, Saden, still zu sein. Er ist nicht in Gefahr," he said hurriedly, his tone dripping with bitterness and anger. "Wir verlassen jetzt und sie werden uns in Ihrem Haus zu sehen. Nun kommen."

I nodded and he strode out of the tent, followed by the rest of the family. I stood in shock for a moment, trying to put all the information together in my head, but I snapped out of it and ran outside. I came to an abrupt halt and stared at the scene before me, terrified.

The only sources of light were small campfires and flashing bursts of white; drunken yells and loud cracking noises filled my ears, along with the panic and desperation pressing in upon me on all sides. Someone bumped into me and sent me sprawing on the ground. I let out a scream as I tried to keep from being trampled by the hoarde of people. Scrambling to my feet, I took off towards the only sane looking place: the woods.

As my breath began hitching in my throat and I felt wetness on my face, I realized I was sobbing. I increased my speed and burst through the opening trees in a sprint only to knock into someone. A loud swear echoed in my ear and a strong pair of hands caught me, holding me upright. I looked up to see who my rescuer was and I gasped as I recognized Draco. He seemed to be taken aback, and he gently let go.

"Saden?" he asked, his eyes boring curiously into mine. "What's wrong?"

I blinked several times in confusion, looking at him incredilously. "What do you _mean_ 'What's wrong?' People are being hurt! Someone is killing people!"

He was shaking his head before I finished, looking at me like I was insane. He spoke almost apathetically, "No, that's merely the muggles being played with. No one is being murdered tonight."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, asking, "How do you know this?"

He raised his eyebrows and asked bluntly, "How do you not know this? Your _dad_ is right along with my father out there, though I doubt they're within ten feet out of each other, or there'd be a duel."

As I tried to process this, it all suddenly clicked together and I tilted with dizzying nausea. The screams suddenly took on a whole new meaning. I gasped, "They're torturing those muggles with_Death Eaters_?!"

Draco seemed to take my gasp as something entirely different and he nodded, smirking broadly as he said, "Putting them in their place. That filth needs to be gotten rid of."

Silent rage built in my chest as I was struck by the fact Draco was exactly like Father, Lucius, Sven, Augustus and all of the other pure blood maniacs. He was no longer the sweet, innocent boy I grew up with. He was a monster created simply for the furthering of the bigotry.

"What is _wrong_ with you? Torturing anyone or anything is sick!" I spat, glaring at him now. He slowly looked at me, his mouth curling in a sneer.

"I knew Frederick was a fool, but how did he manage to have a blood traitor? I would have thought he would have done away with you the first time you spouted off your little 'belief'," he said with disgust, stepping away from me as if I was contaminated. I swelled from a roar of indignancy and pride, pointing my wand at his chest.

"Shut your mouth about my Father, Malfoy," I growled, not even flinching as he drew his.

"Or what, von Deitrich?" he sneered. I raised my wand, about to cast body binding curse, when my name was called from behind us. We both froze as three people came towards us; I instantly recognized Fred, George, and what appeared to be their little sister. Fred and George immediately had their wands out at Draco, who sneered even more if that was possible.

"Drop it, Malfoy," George ordered sharply, raising him wand higher threateningly. Draco raised his chin defiantly, but seemed to think better about his actions after a moment; he shoved his wand in his pocket and leaned against the tree, his expression twisted in an ugly grimace. Fred stepped over to me, putting his body between mine and Draco's. He stared Draco down, his normal infectious grin replaced with a frown. He looked at me, his eyes intense.

"Did he hurt you, Saden?" Fred asked quietly, and when I shook my head, he exhaled quietly. We turned as Draco gave a derisive laugh.

"Blood traitors do find each other quickly, don't they? Oh well, I hope you don't get kicked out, von Deitrich. The Weasleys don't have room for you in their joke of a house," he taunted. Fred and George made startiling advances towards Draco, but their little sister and I held them back.

"No, you two! You know he'll just run off and tell his father, and who knows what he'd do," she said quickly, casting a look of disgust at Draco. I nodded and squeezed Fred's hand; he looked at me for a moment before squeezing mine back.

"Maybe you can stash away enough galleons to make it through the winter!" Draco jeered, his malicious voice ringing through the forest. Jerking my wand out, I lurched towards him and nearly hit him with a silent stunning spell but Fred twisted me away at the last moment. This only made Draco laugh harder, and it was driving me mad.

"You are just like your vather! Arrogant coward!" I screeched, only slightly satisfied as I watched his pale face flush pink.

"Come on, you guys," Fred muttered, glaring at Draco as we walked away. I gritted my teeth to keep myself from cursing him until his ears fell off.

"Zat bastard," I growled quietly, the rage inside me still swirling quickly within my chest. "He's just like ALL ov zem, zee brainvashed feigling."

Fred stopped and the three of them looked at me for a moment, confused, before he spoke, "Up in the Top Box, it looked like you and your family were best mates with the Malfoys."

I sighed heavily, running my fingers through my air. I muttered, "No. Our families used to be best friends a long time ago, but... they had a falling out after the War."

Now George looked at me with wide eyes, asking, "Your father is Frederick von Deitrich?" I pursed my lips and nodded, looking at my feet.

"But, you don't believe the same way they do?" their sister asked slowly, her eyes curious. I chewed on the inside of my lip, sighing softly.

"No, I don't," I answered quietly, looking at the three of them closely. Fred laughed and squeezed my hand, his brown eyes dancing.

"See, Georgie, I told you she was of the right sort," he said triumphantly and we all began laughing, though mine was perhaps filled with a bit more relief.

"Right you are, Freddie," George said approvingly, before turning to their little sister. "Ginny, this is Saden. We met her earlier today getting firewood."

Ginny smiled at me, and I returned it tenfold, feeling much better about everything. But the cheerfullness disolved when the sky exploded with green smoke. Ginny and I screamed as the stars transfigured themselves into the Dark Mark. My heart was ready to beat out of my chest and I couldn't make a sensible thought. Images of the newspaper clippings of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named flashed through my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ginny cling to George. I was clenching Fred's hand so tight I thought I was going to break it. Screams echoed throughout the area, but throughout the chaos, I heard: "SADEN!"

Spinning around, I saw Benjamin and Nina bursting through the woods toward us. I ran to him and threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. I demanded tensely, "Jeder ist in Ordnung?*"

He nodded vigorously, beginning to pull me as he yelled, "Ja, aber wir dachten, dass wir dich verloren. Komm, wir müssen uns beeilen. Wir verlassen!"

I nodded and began to follow him before I suddenly thought of something. I yelled, "Warten Sie!" I strode quickly over to Fred and threw my arms around him in a hug. He instantly returned it, holding me tight. I pulled back and said, "Write me. Saden von Deitrich, Calw, Germany. Please."

He nodded and smiled, "As soon as possible."

I smiled back and turned to Bejamin and Nina who were impatiently tapping their feet. We all began to run out of the wood, weaving through the crowd of people until I saw our family surrounding a campfire. Mother cried out as she saw me and crushed me to her chest when I was within arms reach.

"JETZT!*" Kristoff roared, and we all spinned into the discomforting blackness.

* * *

*be still. He is not in danger. We are leaving now and they will see us at your house. Now come.

*Everyone is alright?

*Yes, but we thought we lost you. Come, we must hurry. We're leaving!

*Wait!

*NOW!


	15. Letters

The very second I was on land, I knew something was wrong. I fell on the ground, clutching my left hand in agony and screaming. Around me I could feel my family pressing upon me, asking me questions, but my hand hurt so bad I could not think clearly. As I opened my eyes, I saw my left hand covered in a massive amount of blood. The world began to revolve and I sunk into unconsciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed and the light was coming in steadily from my window. I yawned and began to stretch, but the bandage covering my hand distracted me. I brought it close to my face, inspecting it, when a voice spoke.

"You splinched yourself during the side-apparation. We grew back your skin, but the muscle tissue is going to have to take some time to heal back properly," Mother calmly said, standing from the chair she had pulled close to my bed. She looked at me and I could see her emotions rising to the surface unsteadily. "You scared us halv to death last night, Saden. Vere _vere_ you?"

I sighed, leaning back on my pillows as I tried to answer her question truthfully, but with as little details as possible. I played with the edge of my bandage as I said, "I got lost in the crowd and I ran into the woods; it was the safest option at the time."

She pursed her lips and nodded, consenting, "It vas. You vere right in doing so."

I looked up, feeling the return of panic I had felt last night. I whispered, "Zee... Dark Mark. Is..._he_...?" Mother shook her head, her eyes dark with burdens and worries.

"Nein, he iz not back. It vas somevon else... it vas only to scare us, and so it did," she said, before gently touched my cheek and gave me a solemn smile. "I do not know vat I vould do vithout you, liebling."

I immediately smiled at her, but inside a million swirls of memories attacked: the arguement in the tent, Alheid's words, and Draco's cutting remark. Frowning, I thought of the rest of my family. "Where are the others?" I asked.

"They all left not soon after we found out you were okay," she told me, and as my face fell, she added, "Nina and Benjamin told me that they would write you and invite you to come see them and the TriWizard Tournament at Hogwarts."

I perked up instantly and sat up in bed as I exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

Mother smiled and laughed, replying, "I'll arrange it vith your Vather."

At the mention of him, I raised my eyebrow slightly and asked sharply, "Vere vas he last night?" She immediately exhaled loudly, looking at me now with irritation.

"Zis is not vor discussion, Saden," she stated curtly, turning to leave the room. I glared at her as she walked out, then rolled my eyes when she shut my door with more force than was necessary.

I laid in bed for a while, replaying the night when I heard a sudden knock against my window. Looking over, I saw a rather bedraggled looking owl with a letter attatched to his leg. Instantly I knew who it was from and I raced over to open the window, put him in Vestri's empty cage, and took the letter.

_Dear wood nymph (Saden),  
I hope you and your family made it out alright last night. We're all fine now, though my brothers and Dad are going to be working overtime at the Ministry for weeks now. I'd rather get swallowed by a hippogriff than do that rubbish. Going to school is work enough for me, honestly. You're lucky you're taught at home, though I wish you went to Hogwarts so I could see your beautiful face. Well, my mum is about to do a nut if George and I don't do our chores, so I must bid you adieu, or rather, tschüss.  
Love,  
Fred_

I re-read the letter five times, smiling more each time; his writing was very much a sloppy chicken scratch, but I liked him all the more for it. I hugged the letter to my chest for a moment, then sped over to my desk, grabbing my quil and parchment. I launched into the letter with fervor and didn't stop writing until all the light had faded from my room. Sealing it with deliberation, I tied the letter to their owl's leg and watched him as he flew out my window.

I never did get confirmation from my parents about where my Father was that night. Any time I brought it up, I was either scolded or ignored so I simply stopped asking, though I knew my suspicions were one hundred percent correct. I began sixth year lessons with Phillip and settled back into my normal routine, except I wrote Fred every second of my free time.

The more we talked, the more I realized liked him. He was funny, intelligent, charming, confident, and would give the sweetest compliments I'd ever received. There was never a negative word from him and all the world was but a joke. It was quite a change from my own attitude, to be sure.

I told him all about my growing up, letting him know secrets I'd never told anyone; he explained what it was like to be one of seven children, and how they often struggled for money. We bonded over the "blood traitor" status' we had and had small funny quarrels over Quidditch. He confided in me about his and George's plans to open a joke shop and I gave him suggestions on products.

Once the TriWizard tournament was announced and I told him I was coming to watch, he wrote me back within the hour, exclaiming I had to sit with him and George. I marked each day off my calendar with enthusiasm, counting down the days like I used to waiting for Christmas to come. If I had been paying attention to anything that had been going on in my house, I would have seen the warning signs. But, as it was, I was completely wrapped up in the charm of Fred Weasley.


End file.
